


Bring Me Closer (Extended)

by AJFormerlyPhoenix



Series: Suicide Squad AU [3]
Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Jason Todd is Red Hood, Joey is Harley Quinn 2.0, Joey is a Brat, Johnny is so sick of their shit, Joseph Wilson is a villain, Joseph Wilson is insane, M/M, PDA, Shower Sex, Suicide Squad AU, The beginning of their romantic relationship, cute but a psycho, even though those events still haven't happened in this timeline yet, murdering mobsters is their favorite kind of date, they fuck like rabbits, unassuming and unexpectedly violent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:47:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29342316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AJFormerlyPhoenix/pseuds/AJFormerlyPhoenix
Summary: Jason gives into temptation, admitting that he's fallen head over heels for Joseph, and throwing all caution to the wind. Forming a relationship with the one who he's attempted and failed to rehabilitate might be questionable, but so is being a crime lord. Jason's gained a lover, and Red Hood's gained a new accomplice. They're all in, now, no turning back. (Now with an added prologue and an extra sex scene, AO3 exclusive, baby!)
Relationships: Jason Todd & Johnny Rancid & Joseph Wilson, Jason Todd & Joseph Wilson, Jason Todd/Joseph Wilson
Series: Suicide Squad AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1872916
Kudos: 9
Collections: Take My Hand Through the Flame





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to the next installment of the Kintsugi/Suicide Squad AU. The only other piece I've posted here on AO3 takes place WAY before this. There's a lot of things in the middle that haven't been covered yet, so I wrote this prologue to help catch you up on things that you've missed. On FF.net, my co-writer and I actually have all the in-between parts written and posted, but they definitely deserve an upgrade before they're cross-posted here. This prologue should fill you in on all the important details, and then the story proper can begin. Fun fact: It starts with a sex scene. And then there's more later. I mean there's other stuff too, this does have a plot, but also some spicy stuff. Anyway, enjoy!

Jason tried. He really, really did. He wanted to help Joseph, make him whole again. There were just...some pieces missing. Pieces that couldn’t be replaced. Parts of him that were dead forever, or just severely repressed. After all, would a Titan like Jericho ever be able to face the reality that he’d murdered so many people? Would he be able to live with the deeply embedded impulses to  _ keep _ killing? 

Jason tried to work towards that, to give Dick and Raven and the others their friend back. To give Jericho his life and sanity back. He just got too close.

He tended to the wounds, fed him, got him proper clothes, helped to socialize him again properly with a few mall outings here and there. Jason even helped him cover up his tattoos. 

The messages Joker carved into his skin to make him feel worthless were replaced with meaningful symbols of hope and recovery. A distorted ‘Reality’ became ‘Reason.’ The iconic symbol of Robin over his heart became a bird, with wings spread wide, leaving behind an empty cage. The scrawled out ‘Toy’ on his lower back became ‘Todd’ at Joey’s insistence, because Jason had saved his life. Jason meant everything to him. 

Jason tried not to let himself get attached. 

He was able to arrange for Joey to get a job, as the receptionist at the Wayne building. There was no way Bruce didn’t know who he was, but he let Joey stay, giving him a place in society. He was on his way to being normal again. 

Then one night, one of Jason’s men staged an attempted uprising, and tried to kill him. Jason escaped, but he was hurt, and he came home much later than usual. Joey was worried, waiting up for him. When he saw and heard what had happened…

Something inside him snapped. 

Armed with only a baseball bat, he went out, killing the one who threatened the man he loved, as well as everyone in his way. He gave in to his bloodlust and there was no going back.

Jason caught up to him before Batman did, but only just barely. He thought the best thing would be to leave Joey, cut off all contact. Joey refused to be abandoned. He didn’t want a life without Jason. Joseph led Jason to the chemical vats Joker had thrown him in, and jumped in. Jason jumped in after him, and they both miraculously survived, climbing out together. 

Jason tried to lead Joey back to a normal life, tried to help him heal and recover. Joseph refused. So they will remain side by side, an unstoppable force within Gotham’s underworld. 


	2. Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason and Joseph consummate their relationship. That's it that's the chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're not here for the sex, you can just skip this whole chapter. There's some dialogue at the beginning and a little at the end, but the jist of it is just them figuring out their new dynamic.

Everything was finally falling into place for Joey. No more pretending, no more silly civilian job, no more being away from Jason. Yes, Jason… The blonde smiled to himself, gripping Red Hood’s leather jacket tighter as they sped through the backroads on his motorcycle. They were still wet from climbing out of the vat of chemicals, making Joey feel a bit chilly, but he didn’t mind much. They could get warm again soon…

He grinned, eyes glinting with anticipation. He remembered the things that Jason said to him, and most of all he remembered how the man kissed him, fiercely and passionately. It made the blonde feel like he was on fire, and he loved it. He wanted more; he’d wanted so much more for so long now, and he was finally going to get what he wanted. He loved getting what he wanted, and this was on the top of the list. 

They pulled into the underground garage, parking the bike before getting in the elevator. Joseph held onto Jason’s arm, grinning wildly, and the dark-haired man had a bit of a smile on his face as well. It made Joseph tingle, shivering both from the cold and excitement. Chemical residue stuck to both of their various scars, and the white of Jason’s hair. It had almost a bioluminescent glow. 

The second they were inside, Joey pounced, actually jumping up to capture Jay’s mouth with his own, already humming with pleasure. Jason’s arms wrapped around his waist, holding him up. They kissed deeply, for a good long while, before Jason broke away for air. Joseph didn’t waste a second, already pulling off his to-be-lover’s jacket and shirt, slightly bleached from the chemicals. Before he got too far, though, larger hands wrapped around his own, stopping him. He looked up, confused. 

Jason didn’t speak for a moment, seeming to be caught up in some inward dilemma. “Joey…”

“What?” the blonde asked softly, wide-eyed. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know if…” Jason trailed off with a sigh, not wanting to break the teen’s heart after just barely getting him back. Joey frowned sharply, eyes glaring as he pulled his wrists free. 

“Don’t you dare, Jason Todd…” he said in a low voice. “ _ Look _ at me. Don’t you  _ dare _ kiss me like you did and tell me those things if you don’t mean it.”

“We can’t-”

“ _ Bullshit! _ ” Joey snapped, stepping back and stamping a foot. “All or nothing! I’m not going to hang around just to be another  _ henchman! _ You  _ want  _ me, and I want you. What the  _ fuck?! _ ”

“You aren’t just a henchman,” Jason argued back, his voice rising. “It’s just complicated, okay?”

“What’s so complicated?” the blonde threw both arms up in exasperation. “It’s sex! You take your cock and-”

“I know how sex works, Jesus!” Jason cut him off, almost going red in the face. He took a deep breath, eyebrows furrowing as he crossed one arm over his chest, the opposite hand reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “I just… I’m already making you worse by letting you join me in other  _ unsavory _ activities. That’s damning enough without…”

“Without what?” Joey pressed.

Jason held Joey’s face, one thumb tracing his cheekbone. There was a faint scar there, highlighted by the traces of chemicals. 

“I just don’t know if it’s right… What happened to you… Those sorts of things tend to freeze you in place. In certain ways you’re stuck in time.”

“Did getting murdered freeze you in place?” Joey asked sincerely, holding his gaze. “Or did you grow past it anyway?”

“I… I guess I did,” Jason admitted. “But that’s not all. You’re not exactly in your right mind, you know.”

Joey smirked. “You’re no better. You jumped into that vat with me and climbed back out again. You seem sane enough but to me that proves that you’re not much better off than I am.”

“I just…” Jason sighed and closed his eyes. “I don’t want to…”

“You don’t want to…” The old insecurity began creeping into Joey’s tone again, “Do you not want me?” Jason instinctively wanted to hurry and rush into reassurances. However, unlike the earlier days, he weighed his words carefully first. 

“ _ Of course I do _ ,” Jason said firmly, holding the blonde closer. “I want you,  _ so much, _ it’s killing me. Why do  _ you _ want to have sex so bad anyway?”

“What the actual fuck kind of question is that?” the blonde said sharply, frowning deeply.

“Humor me,” Jason said, exhausted. Maybe if Joey had a really good reason, Jason could get over his own hang-ups. Or reaffirm his fears that Joey wouldn’t be able to handle it. Either way he wanted to stop feeling so torn. 

“Because I’m male? You know, still technically a teenager?” Joey answered, like it was obvious. It clearly wasn’t convincing enough to Jay, so he let out an annoyed sigh and continued. “Okay, look. I don’t like talking about this stuff so I’m going to make it quick, and I’m not going to repeat myself. I’m pretty sure I’ve had sex before, so it’s not like this would be my first time or anything. But when everything happened… I changed. I forgot everything, I became something else. Dare I say I forgot sex even existed, I was too focused on staying alive and letting out my energy by murdering people instead.”

Joey spoke casually. Jay could tell that thinking back on the past like that still made him sad, so he was careful to do nothing but listen, giving his full attention out of respect. It wasn’t often that the blonde spoke so in depth about his own thoughts, feelings, and experiences. He was usually more vague and flighty. Jason nodded, urging the blonde to continue. 

“Anyways, after I came here and I didn’t have to spend my time worrying about my own wellbeing, and I stopped killing, I wasn’t expending that energy anymore. I didn’t know what I would do with myself now that I was safe, but the more I spent time with you, the more I functioned like a normal person and the more old feelings cropped up.”

Jason raised an eyebrow. “So… you got stuck with a teenage libido?”

“Yes. Now attached to all the other psychotic thoughts,” Joey answered, casually. “Bottom line, I  _ need  _ to start having sex, I’m insanely,  _ desperately _ , horny, emphasis on insane, and I think it will help me continue to keep control of myself. Otherwise, I’ll just snap and who knows what will happen.”

“That’s not an excuse,” Jason argued. “Just being horny isn’t anything special, even if you are insane. What if we hire a prostitute? A good one.”

“No!” Joey said with impatience. “It  _ has _ to be you. You don’t understand, having sex with someone, that’s  _ intimate. _ You have to have trust in your partner and I can’t just do that anymore. I don’t really trust anyone but you. If I let a stranger get that close to me, while I was all high on hormones, I’d flip out because I can’t stand to let anyone else that close and I’d murder them. Is that what you want? Dead prostitutes to clean up every day?”

Jason ignored the ‘everyday’ factor and let out a breath. “No, that’s not what I want, of course, but… I don’t know.” Jason’s throat started to feel a little tight. “I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to find out the hard way that this is too much, that we’re too volatile. I’d never forgive myself if you let me get that close to you and I fuck it up. I’m sorry. You’re right, I’m extremely attracted to you, I just don’t know if it’s something I should let myself do.”

Joey looked up at him, still clearly unhappy. “So what? We do things we shouldn’t do all the time. You’re a crime lord and I’m a homicidal maniac. Stop being such a hypocrite!”

When Jason didn’t answer, Joey narrowed his eyes, pulling away again and turning sharply, entering the bathroom. 

“Fine, then! But I mean it, Jason. All or nothing. I can’t stand being  _ played with _ .”

The smaller of the two stripped off his shirt, popping off a few buttons. Jason stood as still as a statue, completely at a loss for words. As Joey’s naked back came into view, Jason saw the tattoo that bore his name, and remembered what was underneath it. It made a pit form in his stomach, and he felt guilty in a new way.

_ "He broke me into a million tiny pieces. You're what's keeping the pieces together, Jay. You're my reason.” _

He’d just agreed to let Joey stay in his life, hadn’t he? Agreed to let the young man join him, killing and committing crimes again. Why couldn’t he just let this last wall between them come down? What was he so afraid of? 

Joey turned on the shower, peeling off his skinny jeans and underwear all at once, with a huff. His face was turned away from the older man, but Jason could still clearly see that he was hurt. He hated to see Joey hurting, especially when he knew he was the cause. He strode into the bathroom with just a few steps, once more grabbing the young man by the arm and turning him around. This time, however, he pulled him into another deep kiss. 

Joey made a very startled (and muffled) cry, stiff for a moment before slowly starting to relax into it. He didn’t completely melt, though, not yet. His guard was still up. They broke apart, staying so close together that their noses touched, breathing heavily. 

“Jason…” the blonde said in a low, warning tone. “I meant what I said… Don’t kiss me like that if you don’t mean it…”

“I mean it,” Jay said huskily. “I don’t want to hold back anymore, but listen to me.” He locked gazes with Joey firmly. “I took you away from him so I could save you, and help you get better. If this ever, at any point, now or in the future, makes you worse, we have to stop. I won’t let myself make you worse.”

Joey gave a half-grin, eyes slightly hooded. “I know what it’ll make me- extremely happy. I want this, Jason, I  _ need  _ this. I need you. So, c’mon…”

Jay reached over, turning off the water. “We’ll shower after.”

“But the sheets?”

“We’re going to ruin them. Fuck the sheets.”

“No, fuck  _ me. _ ” Joey said, getting up on his toes to steal another kiss. Jason kissed him back, lifting him up, holding him by the naked ass. Joey let out a happy sound, wrapping his legs around Jason’s waist, though said waist was too wide for him to really wrap all the way around. 

Jay carried him with ease, back down the hall to their bedroom. He dropped Joey down onto the bed, making the blonde laugh with giddiness, laying there, panting, already getting hard. Jason looked down at him as he removed his shirt, glad he’d bandaged up so well, as well as taken plenty of painkillers. He could finally let go. He didn’t care anymore. He wanted this, and he wasn’t going to waste time feeling guilty about it anymore. He was probably going to hell anyway, might as well go all out and have some more fun before he got there, right?

And just like that, the last of his guilt and inhibitions were peeled away with the rest of his wet clothes as he crawled forward onto the large bed, practically falling down on top of his lover, kissing him like their lives depended on it. 

The sounds Joey made- they were as amazing as they were loud and frequent. Jason couldn’t help but moan at the needy whimpers and pleased cries coming from the thin body beneath him. 

“You’re loud,” he rumbled into Joey’s ear, giving it a nibble. “I like that.”

“I never learned how to be quiet,” the blonde answered, gasping. Jason wasn’t sure if Joey was fully aware of the irony in that statement, but he didn’t really care. Which reminded him…

The choker with the red X on it was still wrapped around Joey’s neck, and suddenly it was the sexiest thing in the world to Jay. Naked except for a collar- it gave him some dirty thoughts, which fueled him into mouthing at Joey’s throat, with a hint of roughness. Just peeking out from under the collar was Joey’s scar, vaguely glowing like the rest, and they were both pleasantly surprised to find that it was sensitive. Jason was tempted to take the collar off to really get to it, but decided not to this time. 

When Jason’s hand went exploring, and found an already pert little nipple, it proved to be too much for the blonde. He let out a high-pitched moan, his whole body arching and trembling as he came for the first time. Jason leaned away, propping himself up on one elbow to watch, his fingers never letting go of the small pink bud that had been the center of this reaction, drawing it all out.

When he was done, Joey went a bit limp, his face extremely flushed, yet his cock still mostly hard. “Oh…” he said in disappointment, a slight whine to his voice as Jason toyed lightly with his other nipple. “I didn’t mean to…”

“I rather enjoyed that,” Jason purred, a teasing smirk on his lips. “I want to see it again, so by all means don’t hold back. Come as often as you’re able.”

Jay settled down on top of him again, their members slightly grinding together, making Joey whimper loudly and twitch his hips. “Oh God!” he gasped. 

Jason really wanted to grind, but he picked up that Joey was too sensitive for that at the moment, so after making out a while longer to give his lover time to recuperate, he sat up, reaching for his nightstand drawer to grab the lube. He also pulled out a few condoms; he was clean himself and pretty sure Joey was as well, but since the blonde had a lot of memory gaps it would be dumb to assume anything until they’d had the chance to get tested.

The way Joey laid there, gasping for breath, all flushed and splattered with cum, he already looked a little bit fucked. A little bit, mind you, there was still a long way to go before they achieved that particular look. Admiring him, Jason wondered how he held back all this time. 

“It’s a little cold,” he warned, getting some lube on his fingers while Joey parted his legs, opening himself up almost eagerly. 

With his other hand he very lightly stroked Joey’s cock, with feathery touches, while his lubed fingers started teasing and probing at the quivering entrance beneath it. He started out carefully, but to his own surprise, there was no resistance or tension. Joey’s body was absolutely relaxed, and he even rocked his hips, seeming to want more. Jason experimentally put in two at a time, and then three, but not once did his partner react with anything besides pure pleasure. Jay realized that with the way Joey registered fear and pain, there was no reason for him to react with any of the usual tension. The tension rooted from nervousness that ultimately caused pain. He really was ready for this. 

“Are you alright?”

“Huuunhh…?” Joey moaned, eyes closed and hips still moving. Jason let out a low chuckle, withdrawing his fingers.  _ That _ got the blonde’s attention. His eyes opened and he looked up, whining in protest. “Jay, no, that felt good…”

“I have something that will feel better,” the man teased, slipping on a condom. Green eyes went wide, and his lips parted slightly with excitement. 

“Please…” he breathed, squirming and shifting, parting his legs even further and tilting his hips up, invitingly.

Jason leaned down, kissing him as he guided his member into the waiting hole. He slid in easily, feeling some natural tightness but no resistance. His lover let out a loud cry of pleasure, his thin arms and legs wrapping around Jason, holding him as close as possible.

“ _ Fuuuck… _ ” Jason groaned. “You’re perfect, babydoll…so fuckin’  _ perfect… _ You feel so good wrapped around my cock, you know that?”

Jay started at a slow, even pace, wanting to make it last, but Joey had other plans. His thighs gripped Jay’s hips, urging him on, while his nails dug into the flesh of the man’s shoulders. 

“ _ Move! _ ” the blonde gasped, demanding and impatient. “I need-  _ more! _ ”

And of course, whatever his babydoll wanted, Jason would give to him. 

The pace quickly became faster, more rough and uneven. Judging by his screams of pleasure and the random babbling of nonsense, Jason figured he was giving Joey exactly what he wanted.

“Fuck,  _ fuck, FUCK-!  _ Jason! Oh fucking GOD- YES-! A-a-a-ah…! OhpleasefuckyesJasonfuckinggod….” 

Joey didn’t even hear everything that was coming out of his mouth, and to be fair, Jason missed some parts of it too. It was just that Joey felt so good that it seemed he couldn’t stop himself from verbalizing his train of thought in his state of ecstasy. That crazy, easily derailed train…

“I- think- there’s- a song- for- this-!” 

For a fleeting second Jason almost backtracked to ask what the hell that even meant, but just then Joey pulled him into a rough, messy kiss, and he forgot all about it. He moaned, and growled deeply, gripping Joey hard by the hips as he thrusted, getting closer to his climax. Such a quick pace always made for an ending just as quick. With a groan and a final thrust, he finished, making Joey tremble slightly, though he hadn’t finished this time around. 

The blonde gave a slight whimper as Jason pulled out, rolling onto his side and discarding the used condom. Joey rolled over with him, still squirming and kissing every bit of skin he could reach. 

“I’m not done yet,” he protested breathlessly. 

“I know,” Jay answered, giving him a short kiss while he caught his breath. “I need a minute, then we can go again.”

Joey climbed up, laying down on top of his lover like a giant pillow and settling for leaving bite marks and hickeys while he waited, grinding slightly with anticipation. Jason ran hands up and down the blonde’s body, from shoulders and arms to ass and thighs, occasionally kissing the top of his head to show continued affection. Joey started humming, and at first it was just nonsense, but then he mumbled some lyrics in a sing-songy voice. 

“ _ Help me _ … I broke apart my insides….  _ Help me _ … I’ve got no soul to sell…” He mouthed along Jason’s jawline, giving his earlobe a little nip before he continued. “ _ Help me _ … You make me  _ perfect…. _ Help me become somebody else…”

It took a second for Jason to realize what he was singing (Joey was skipping some parts), but when he did he sang the next line in a low, rumbling purr. “I wanna fuck you like an animal…” It made Joey shiver and moan, fingers curling against Jay’s chest as he sat up, straddling the man. He hummed the song on a loop, too out of breath to sing it all. Jason remembered what he’d said and he smirked. “You’re right. There is a song for this.”

He reached up, lazily tracing the spots of dried cum on Joey’s stomach, moving his hand down, teasing him but not touching him again. Not yet at least… Once more he took a second to admire his lover’s body. The faintly glowing scars, the scattered tattoos… Joey looked a lot less like a walking skeleton now, but he was still incredibly thin for his age. Not much body fat or muscle, but at least he was healthier now. His physical (and even psychological) growth might have been permanently derailed, but that didn’t stop him from becoming a strong, clever, confident and downright sexy young man. Jason smirked again, one hand behind his head while the other finally wrapped around Joey’s cock again, making the blonde gasp, and the member itself to bob with arousal. 

“Jay…” he moaned. “You’ll make me cum.”

“Don’t you want to?” the man asked casually. 

“N-n- ah! Y-yes, but- I want you- inside of me,” he gasped out, arching his back to hold himself off. Jason took his hand away, making Joey slump slightly with both relief and mild disappointment that the pleasure had ended. 

“Then come here and show me what that pretty mouth can do,” Jason said, reaching up to pull the blonde into a kiss himself. “Make me hard again, I want to hear you moaning.”

Joey very happily obliged, far from holding back. He moaned even more, now knowing that Jason liked it, and wanting to please him and make him feel good. Jay firmly squeezed his ass, encouraging him with a light, playful slap. Joey let out a muffled squeak, feeling a bit more tingly now. After a few minutes of kissing and groping, Jason was hard again and Joey wasted no time getting back to business, grabbing a second condom. 

Joey sat back, impaling himself once more on Jason’s length, letting out a deep moan. Jason himself groaned, holding his narrow hips tightly to urge him along. In no time they set a fast pace, and the room was filled with the sounds of moaning, gasping, and flesh gently slapping together, all three in perfect rhythm. Jason’s hips were a bit wide, making it difficult for Joey to ride him properly, but the blonde being so small made it easy enough for Jay to continue holding him by the hips and do a portion of the work. 

As he got closer, Joey leaned down, catching Jay’s mouth in a messy, passionate kiss, his cock now pressed lightly between their bodies, adding friction without having to touch it. He sped up, thighs clenching tightly as he moaned Jason’s name into the man’s own mouth. Jay put his feet flat on the bed, bending his knees and thrusting himself up to finish them both off, holding the blonde in place to properly fuck him again. Joey cried out loudly in pleasure, fingers curling, his nails digging into Jason’s shoulders again. 

Joey came first, sitting up sharply, his back arching, hips rocking, and the rest of him trembling as wave after wave of pleasure crashed down on him. This was a much bigger climax than the first, and he was so loud that it was conceivable that the whole neighborhood heard him. This pushed Jason over the edge again, but he was much more quiet than his partner. 

“God…” the dark-haired man groaned, catching his breath. 

Joey let out a final, whimpering moan, his face all flushed. “Mmm…” Slowly, he toppled back, sideways, falling over onto the bed. Jason sat up, getting out from underneath his lover’s sprawled legs, and reaching out to stroke his cheek. 

“You okay?” he asked gently. 

“Mm-hm…” Joey hummed happily, eyes closed. “Got dizzy…”

Jason frowned.  _ Shit… _ “When was the last time you ate?”

For a little while, Joey didn’t answer, thinking about it. “Lunch… At work…”

Jason let out a heavy sigh, moving to get up. “Joey, you’re supposed to eat, remember? No wonder you got dizzy, you’ve been running around like a maniac all night and fucking like a jackrabbit.”

One problem that still came up with the blonde was his apparent lack of hunger pains. If he felt them at all, his mind certainly didn’t register them, and he would forget to eat unless told to regularly. Either Jason had to remind him, or he had to be signaled by a loudly growling stomach. It’d been a bigger problem at the beginning, but gradually they’d both gotten better about keeping routine meal-times. Jason got up, grabbing a clean pair of boxers to wear out to the kitchen to grab something to feed his partner. 

“Don’t be mad…” Joey said, still sprawled on the bed and looking at Jason upside-down. “I was going to eat dinner with you when you got home but then when you did…”

“I’m not mad,” the man told him, coming back to run his fingers through blonde curls soothingly. “If I’m ever that late coming home again, though, you should at least eat a snack, okay?”

“‘Kay,” the blonde smiled sleepily up at him. Jason couldn’t help but smile back. Joey still needed him; how could he think, even for a minute, that he could just hand the kid off to anyone else? No one else would know all the things Jason did, all the details about what Joey needed and why and how and when. He’d spent a long time figuring all this stuff out for himself, and it would probably take anyone else even longer to figure it out, and Joey needed the stability. On his way out of the bedroom he spotted the baseball bat again, and chewed on his lip. No, no one else could handle this kid. 

Jason brought back the simplest thing he could find for Joey to eat, just a bagel with cream cheese spread on both halves. He’d make sure they had a big breakfast tomorrow morning to make up for it. He laid back down in bed, on his side to watch over Joey, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor to keep from getting crumbs in the bed. There was a lot to plan for tomorrow but Jason was just too exhausted to really think about it yet. For now, it was just him and Joey, and nothing else. The blonde stared out the window while he ate, watching the city lights. The window was a one-way mirror of course, to give them their privacy, but even then it was unlikely that anyone was even awake to watch them. 

After Joey finished his food he climbed back into bed, on top of Jason, nuzzling up to him with a happy hum. 

“Wanna go again?”

Jason snorted, kissing the top of his head. “It’s been a long night, I bet you’re tired. I know I am.”

“Nuh-uh!”

“Alright,” Jay said, “then just lay still and quiet for thirty minutes, and if you’re still awake by then, we’ll go another round. Deal?”

Joey groaned in protest but did quiet down, getting under the covers and snuggling up with Jason, seeming determined to stay awake. Of course, just like Jason knew he would be, the teen was out like a light in less than ten. As with hunger, Joey sometimes had a hard time reading his body’s signals of tiredness. Once he heard the gentle snoring of his partner, Jason closed his eyes, letting himself fall into a heavy sleep as well. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, I hope you enjoyed, I'll see you next week!


	3. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason, Joey, and Johnny prepare for Jericho's big debut. Now with an extra scene. With sex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all, again this is the part where I've added more, this is the extended version. Bonus shower scene, AO3 exclusive! 
> 
> That's all. Enjoy the chapter.

Johnny had no idea what to expect as he made his way up to the penthouse in the elevator. Last night had been one long, insane roller coaster. First there was the whole debacle with Chartreuse, which was bad enough. Then, Joseph had run off on some murderous, vengeful rampage, sending Jason and Johnny out to look for him. Johnny had been trying to tail the Bat to keep an eye out, while Red Hood went straight for the kid. Jason had managed to nab him before the Dark Knight did, but only after he’d murdered Red’s former ally and sixteen of his men. Johnny saw the aftermath, and it wasn’t pretty. He knew where Joseph came from, and he’d known the kid was homicidal, but he was still shocked at the brutality of it. 

The next thing Johnny heard was that Red was leaving town, leaving Joey behind. He asked Johnny to stick around, out of sight, to try and steer the kid towards someone else who could help him without hurting him. Then, not five minutes later, he got a text to say that the blonde had run off again. Johnny was back out on the streets looking when he got the next message. 

_He’s with me, we’re going home. Come over in the morning, we’ll sort it all out._

So, needless to say, it was a fairly eventful night, with a seemingly endless back and forth between the two other men. Johnny sighed as he rode the elevator up, and he hoped that this would all come to a head as nicely as possible. Obviously, the kid needed Red now, there was very little chance he’d function if Jason wasn’t with him. In a different way, Jay needed Joey, too. It was obvious how much he liked Joey, and Johnny didn’t really know why his employer didn’t just give in already. Sure, the kid was young, and insane, with violent tendencies, but as long as Jason was around he was a lot more stable. They were good for each other. 

Upstairs, there were shoes and some articles of clothing strewn about. He frowned, not quite sure what to think just yet. With the make-out session he’d caught them in earlier last night, he wouldn’t be _that_ surprised if things had gone in that direction. Then again, the clothes looked mildly damaged, as if bleached, and the GPS had told Johnny that his boss had been at an old chemical plant last night around the time of the last message, so it could be that they were just tired and wanted to get out of the wet clothes. 

He made his way carefully down the hall, to the bedroom. He wasn’t really sure he wanted to go in, but the door was already half open. And, he knew he should at least check to see if they were both still alive. Then he could go make breakfast or something to wait for them to wake up. It was already rather late in the morning, so he’d hoped to catch them already awake, but since they didn’t seem to be he could only hope they would be soon enough. 

The redhead very slowly and carefully peered in past the door. There were some more clothes on the floor, and the large duvet was pulled all the way up, to his relief. He saw Jason’s head and shoulders above the covers, as he rested on his side with his back to the door. Just barely visible on the other side of the man was a messy mop of light blonde curls. Johnny nodded once to himself, stepping back to leave the room, when the floor creaked just slightly beneath his foot. Bright green eyes flashed up at him, wide awake and glinting with a somewhat familiar look in them. Johnny froze under that gaze, as if he were facing off a wild animal. The blonde looked like he wanted to kill and eat him like a wild animal, too. Not out of rage but just because he could. Or, was that something other than bloodlust in his eyes…? Johnny sure as hell didn’t want to find out, and as Joey shifted, he tensed, ready to slam the door shut and run. 

Then, with a yawn, Joey’s eyes closed and when he opened them again they were back to normal. He sat up with a stretch, showing a bare torso, while Jason’s sleeping body covered him from the waist down. There was the most smug, content look on the kids face, and the messier-than-usual hair combined to make the couple’s resolution last night very clear to Johnny. Well, at least things had ended nicely. 

Just as Johnny was planning on leaving to go to the kitchen, the blonde was pushing against Jay’s body with both hands to wake him up, which worked. Jason groaned with annoyance at being woken up, looking up at the blonde with tired eyes. 

“Ugh… Didn’t you get enough last night? I’m too tired to-”

Johnny quietly coughed to alert Jason to his presence before things got too graphic. The dark-haired man turned his grumpy gaze to Johnny, somewhat surprised, and suddenly even more annoyed. 

“Johnny! Get the hell out!”

The biker couldn’t help but smirk slightly and chuckle to himself at Jay’s embarrassment, quickly ducking out before Jason could find anything to throw. “I’ll make some breakfast!” he called out behind him. 

“I want coffee!!” The blonde shouted back. Jason let out a snort, seeing that the kid was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, despite their late night, filled with every activity from murder to sex. 

“Make his decaf!” Jason added to the command, making Joey pout a little. The frown didn’t stay long, though, as their mouths met in a morning kiss. 

“Jason…” Joey hummed happily, meeting his eyes as he laid on top of him again. “I love you.”

Jason blinked, but then gave a small smile. “I love you too,” he answered softly. 

“Can I have a pistol like yours?”

Jason couldn’t help but groan. What had he got himself into? His first instinct was to say no, right off the bat, but then he reminded himself that things were different now. He remembered the way Joey had fearlessly shot at the Bat last night, and the rush he himself had felt seeing the kid so effortlessly take care of himself. 

“Alright, we’ll get you some of your own things, so you can keep taking care of yourself.”

“I like the bat,” Joey said, pointing to the bloodied and slightly broken weapon from the night before. 

“I’ll get you a better one. That one wasn’t really strong enough to handle _you_ ,” he teased. “Now let’s get up, shower, and go eat.”

The blonde jumped up, even more cheerful and bouncy than usual. Jason realized that the kid wasn’t even sore, and he shook his head. While it was a good thing, a little pain would have kept Joey from pressing his limits too far. He would have to keep an eye on that, if Joey was to join him in his work. He could literally work himself into passing out if no one stopped him, which he seemed to when he was Jester. This time around Jason would be sure it didn’t happen. He would still take care of Joey, and make sure he was healthy and happy, and safe. Relatively, of course, since he now would be running through Gotham at night again. 

" _Jaaay!_ " Joey whined in a sing-song voice, tugging on his arm childishly. "C'mon- take a shower _with_ me!" Jason tried to scan his face for signs of ulterior motives, but only found wide eyes and an elated grin. It made Jason's heart forget who it belonged to, momentarily. 

"You take one first, it's gonna be a process getting all these bandages off of me and cleaning out my wounds." Jason gruffed.

"Let me help, then!" Joey urged, stamping his foot. His demeanor changed like the flip of a coin, from stubborn and harsh to soft and demure, gently sitting in Jason's lap and looking down. "I can still be your lil' nurse… like before…" he trailed off, pouting and picking at the bandages _he himself_ had put on Jason just 12 hours prior. 

_Damn_ that pout. And damn Jason for falling so hard. 

"Okay...okay." Jason huffed, physically expressing the hesitance in his words. 

"Really?" Joey chirped, sitting up tall and grinning excitedly at Jason. Jason groaned, dragging a hand down his face. 

"Yeah, _really_. Just be careful with taking them off, okay? And…" Jason sucked in a breath, looking anywhere but those black holes of emerald green. "Just brace yourself, for what you'll see. Mentally." 

Joey had seen his scars before, yeah, but that was when they were on an uneven playing field. They were _equals_ now. And Joey was steadily destroying more and more of his filters, his inhibitions, his taught normalcy. He noticed before how Joey kept his eyes trained in a single spot while wrapping him. It wasn't anything new.

Call him a hopeless old fool, but he didn't think he could take it if Joey just blurted out how horrifying Jason's scarring looked. It was different with him, everything was.

"Are you ready?" Jason asked, his heart beating through his throat. When did they get to the bathroom so fast? He was already handing Joey an unloosened end of the bandage, glaring at it as it accentuated his shaking hands. 

" _Hey_ ." Joey said, near a whisper, enveloping Jason's outstretched hand with both of his own. Tenderly, carefully, _gently_. Jason looked up and fell into those eyes again. Eyes filled with absolution, with care. "Everything's going to be okay, Jay."

Jason let out a shaky breath he didn't know he was holding. He didn't know what it was about that tone of voice that pulled at his heartstrings, but it did. Joey was whispering with a sense of urgency. Like it was a secret, the tension between them. Jason melted against the hand that smoothed against his cheek, gently tugging him so their foreheads could bump. 

"I'm gonna take the bandage off now, okay? Is that okay?" Jason nodded, despite himself. 

He realized with bitter shock why that tone of voice overtook him. It was the same one he used with Joey, when he'd first found him. Like Jason was the one who needed to be treated fragile now. 

The bandages felt like sandpaper against his skin as they unraveled bit by bit with Joey's guidance. After so long Jason finally braved a look at Joey's face, to find him intimately furrowing his brows at scars on his upper arm, snapping his eyes shut again in fear. 

"Where did this come from?" Joey asked in a hollow voice, soothingly tracing up and down the length of a scar on his bicep. 

Jason looked down at it, craning his neck a little. “Knife I think.”

Joey smiled softly, reaching up and unclasping his choker. “Me too, see?”

He tilted his head back to bare his throat, showing off the very prominent scar there. Even though it was older than any of their other scars, it was so big it would never fade. Joey’s smile remained, as he looked into Jason’s eyes again. 

“We match. I guess there’ll be plenty more in the future, huh?”

Joey gave a hum and a mischievous smile, seeming content to lean into the pressure of Jason's hand cradling the back of his neck until his face dropped and his eyes changed into that feral emptiness Jason had seen before. 

His hand shot out to urgently trace a scar just below Jason's ribs. It was the remnants of a welt, simply a darker patch of skin now, but all too familiar nonetheless. 

Jason turned to glare at the wall. This was something else he was afraid of. The scars that matched. The welts that mirrored both their bodies. The memories of metal striking flesh that paralleled their minds. 

Jason couldn't help the surprised gasp that echoed in the room when he felt the sudden weight of Joey squeezing him as tight as he could, hiding what felt like a curious expression in Jason's chest. 

He started mumbling things Jason couldn't make out until he softly dragged his fingers through Joey's curls, a silent request for him to meet his eyes. 

He unfurled from Jason's chest, looking up at him with wet, angry eyes and a heavy glare. " _I'm sorry._ " He whispered. 

Still awestruck from the entire altercation, Jason didn't have much time to stop him before Joey was leaning down just a bit and placing soft, gentle kisses wherever he found welt marks. 

"Hey." Jason finally found his voice, if broken. He ran his fingers through soft blonde curls again, tilting Joey's face to look up at him. He looked miserable. Jason hated seeing that pretty face upset. "What happened to my _lil' nurse_? These bandages feel gross from last night." 

There was a glimpse of recognition in Joey's eyes- he knew Jason was just trying to distract him, but in the end he split into a grin and tugged Jason to sit on the side of the tub while he smoothed over his bandages anyway. Jason busied himself with messing with the water while Joey slowly and steadily unwrapped Jason like he was a present, excitedly biting his lip and tracing every new scar he found. 

Jason suddenly felt the weight of Joseph leaning all his weight on Jason's chest, tracing a scar that lined his jaw. 

This moment felt nice. Really nice. They were so close he could feel Joey's breath against his neck. Before Jason would recoil at a moment of such contentment. Now he sighs and wraps Joey in his arms.

"What's this one?" He asks, snuggling further into Jason. 

Jason kisses the top of his head, enjoying the moment still. "Knife fight with that freak Zsasz." He sighed.

"Y'know," He said suddenly, pulling away to look at Joey again. "You two would probably get along, actually."

Joey giggled, playfully punching Jason and glaring with no malice. "Jackass!".

" _Ooh-!_ " Jason moaned, completely over the top. "I'm _wounded_ \- how could you punch your _wounded_ boyfriend, baby doll?" Jason leaned backwards from his spot on the tub, hand across his forehead and feigning hurt. "I don't think I can ever recover, Chartreuse turning me into bulleted swiss cheese was bad enough and now _this_ -!" Joey's exasperated glare suddenly split into a maniacal grin as he shoved Jason backwards, making him fall into the running water that was pooling around the open drain.

Jason made a less than graceful sound in protest as Joey leaned over and pull the knob that stopped the flow of water from the bath spigot and sent it pouring from the shower head instead. Joey's maniacal cackling was cut short as Jason leaned forward with a grin, yanking him into the bathtub with him. 

"Jason! Your bandages!" Joey fretted, trying to gather them all up as they slunk off his body and got soaked. 

"It's fine, we have more. This was quicker anyway." He excused, ignoring the pointed glare he got. 

"Well," he grumbled, smoothing Joey's damp hair out of his face and touching their foreheads. "Ya got me where you want me doll. What now?" 

Joey smiled, giving him a quick peck, while reaching out and closing the shower curtain. “I guess we _should_ clean up. We’re pretty messy.”

“Yeah,” Jason said, grabbing the shampoo and pouring some directly on Joey's head. “You’re fucking _filthy._ ”

The blonde let out a whimpering purr, fingers and toes curling. “ _Jason…_ Don’t tease me like that…”

“Like what?” Jason said innocently, smirking. “I’m just saying you’re a _very_ dirty boy, all covered in cum like this. Plus the blood and the chemicals… What am I going to do with you?”

Green eyes shone up at him, looking so _hungry._ He whined, “ _Jason…_ You said you were too tired to go again. You’re just gonna get me hard talking like that and then you won’t even fuck me, that’s not _fair._ ”

Jason chuckled, scrubbing Joey's hair, fingers delicately pulling through the knots in the curls. He gave the blonde’s nose a quick kiss. “Okay I’m stopping. Let’s clean up first and then we’ll see after that.”

Joey let out a hum, pleased with this answer. He grabbed the soap and started rubbing it across Jason’s torso. 

Jason snorted, giving Joey a lopsided grin. "You havin' fun down there?" Joey coyly smiled and shrugged, continuing to apply the soap by feeling every curve and divet and scar on Jason's chest, dragging his fingertips on everything he could reach. 

"What's this one?" He asked, lazily circling an 'X' over his ribs. 

"Family ain't always so nice." He said gruffly, making it clear he didn't want to elaborate. Joey pouted at his tone before leaning his head fully onto Jason's chest, leaning up to methodically poke at one, then two places grazed under Jason's jaw. Jason gave a questioning hum, continuing to soothingly run his fingers through Joey's hair. "I'm _counting_." Joey stressed, frustrated. 

Jason rolled his eyes, leaving it be. Joey traced his fingertips from his jaw down to a point in his shoulder, grinning teasingly when Jason winced and glared from the weak point. Joey suddenly turned around with his back to Jason, using one hand to curl their fingers together and stretch Jason's arm out in front of them both, and tracing various places with his other.

Jason sighed, half exasperated, half in awe of his lover's body. "What number are you on?" 

"Six." He said simply. "Seven...eight...nine…" he giggled, stepping his fingers up one by one over his arm. Jason leaned forward on Joey's shoulder to try and decipher what he was counting, exactly, only for Joey to give a giggle-moan, turning his head and licking a slow, thin stripe against a scar that stretched from the line of Jason's jaw up to the tip of his cheekbone, leaving an open mouthed kiss at the end and a small, exaggerated moan. 

" _Cupcake_." Jason growled warningly, gripping Joey's hip as a caution.

Joey giggled again, biting his lip and leaning back to grind his ass against Jason teasingly. Jason moved to do _something_ only for Joey to spin out of his grip, immediately going back to poking and counting on Jason's other arm, making Jason glare and huff. 

"Ten, 'leven, twelve!" He chirped, bobbing his head side to side before batting his eyes up at Jason like he had no idea why Jason looked so frustrated. 

“Thirteen… Fourteen…” Joey sighed, walking his hands down Jason’s torso from various points. Joey hummed, licking his lips and biting them after, running his fingers appreciatively over as much of Jason’s form as he could from his position. Pupils blown wide, nearly eating Jason alive with his eyes. 

Jason probably thought it just lust, just Joey and his libido, but it was _so much more_.

Jason was fucking _stunning_ . His body was a canvas painted in scars, criss-crosses, bullet grazings, welts, burns, Jason had it all. He had it all and he was still _here_ . And _that_ was hot as hell.

Jason was a one man army, charging through everything in his path. Nothing could stop him. Every scar was a testament to how powerful he really was. Joey took a moment to breath in deep, smelling the stale tap water from the shower, but just under it a smell that was just undeniably _Jay_ . It was hard to point, but it was so comforting. It was the dead end of cigarettes, the metallic stench of steel, the intoxicating pang of _blood_. 

Just under everything, where no one could reach, it was cherries. Dark and sweet. 

Joey gave a small purring moan, dragging his fingernails to leave small, barely felt scratches down Jason’s back, determined to memorize _every_ curve and divet and _perfection_ on Jason’s body. 

“Someone’s clingy.” Jason teased, bringing Joey to look up at him again. “What are you doing down there?” 

Joey rolled his eyes, like he was thinking to himself. “...Cherishing.” 

Jason sucked in a short breath, like he couldn’t have possibly imagined that answer. Joey gave him a sweet smile before moving to switch places with Jason so he was in the direct spray of the water, making a bit of a show of getting his hair wet to rid himself of the shampoo. Joey dragged his hands up from his waist up to run through his hair, tilting his head this way and that exaggeratedly. 

Joey smiled wickedly when Jason noticeably gulped at the sight. Joey leaned up on the tips of his toes to place a chaste kiss to Jason’s nose, teasing. 

Jason reached out to him, pulling him closer so he could place a kiss to his wet curls. "Pretty boy…" he gruffed lovingly, making Joey hum. 

Jason dumped some soap in his hands, rubbing them together while Joey distracted himself with lazily rubbing his cheek against Jason's chest and not so subtly feeling him up again, humming contentedly. Jason ran large hands down the curve of Joey's back, chuckling when Joey keened into the touch. Jason rubbed scarred, calloused fingers into the dips and curves of Joey's spine, circling the outside jut of his hips before grabbing at the meat of his ass and growling appreciatively into his hair. 

Joey huffed, but leaned into him nonetheless. "We have a loofa, _pervert_." 

Jason guffawed. " _You're_ one to talk!"

Joey stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry at him teasingly. 

"Keep fuckin' sticking that pretty tongue out and I might have to find a better use for it, baby." Jason warned casually, like he was talking about the weather, already moving on to molesting Joey's front with soap instead as he pouted and shivered. 

He couldn't help himself. He'd waited for so long, he spent so _, so_ long telling himself he'd never get to see those curves completely displayed, he'd never be looked at with the adoration Joey gave freely without guilt. 

Jason was still reeling. It'd been a full 12 hours but he could _touch_ , he could _kiss,_ he could _feel_. He spent so many nights sleeping next to the best thing that's ever happened to him, content to only dream of what he could do. Joey was forbidden fruit, he's everything Jason had ever wanted to surrender to, and now he was offering himself like a gift.

Jason was an opportunist, if nothing else. 

"Hey." Jason's eyes snapped up to Joey again, who brought his hands up to cup Jason's face softly, stroking his cheeks and touching their noses. "You're in your head. What are you thinking?"

Joey took his _damn_ breath from his lungs, is what he was thinking. Hair damp and flowing down to curl around his face, water dripping down every divet of his body, eyes wide and loving and eyelashes batting like doe eyes. He was gonna kill Jason, and he didn't even seem to realize it. 

"I love you." He manages to choke out, voice breaking and unsure of itself. When was the last time those words came from him, unprompted? They felt unnatural and alien in his mouth. 

Joey took to them like he'd been waiting his entire life, though. No hesitation, no surprise, he simply smiled warmly and wrapped his arms around Jason's neck, pressing a firm kiss to the swell of his cheek before burying into the crook of his neck. "I love you too, baby." 

Jason softly brought his hands up from Joey's waist, rubbing the soap firmly into his skin, making his way up as Joey sighed into his neck. He whimpered and Jason felt his knees squirm a bit underneath him when he started teasing at his nipples. 

" _Jay_ …" Joey warned. 

"What? I'm just cleaning you up, pumpkin." He teased, smirking at Joey's sharp glare. "Why?" He gruffed, leaning down to his ear. "You're not getting hard over this, _are_ you?" Joey shivered in Jason's arms, whimpering sharper this time. 

"Told you you were a dirty boy, baby." He said, inching down his waist toward Joey's cock. 

Before letting out another indignant cry when he was suddenly attacked with the full force of the showerhead held in Joey's hands like a shield. 

Joey laughed maniacally at Jason's surprise and finally pointed the showerhead in his hand down so he wasn't being constantly showered with full force water. 

"Nuh-uh!" He sang. "You don't get to tease me when I know you're just tryna' get me riled up!" 

"Jesus!" Jason said, spitting out some water and snatching the head to put it back in place while Joey continued snorting and giggling. 

Jason turned back around to glare, growl, do something, but Joey trying to muffle his rowdy giggles behind his hands just made him reach out and bring him close again with a soft " _c'mere_." 

"You still haven't gotten any cleaner, you know." Joey piped from underneath him. "I don't think I really mind though…" he trailed off, circling a scar coyly where toxin had set in, making it glow a dangerous green. 

Jason scoffed. "Your fuckin' nasty, doll." He said lovingly. 

Joey giggled up at him, leaning forward to flatten his tongue against the scar, tracing it up his ribs and batting his eyes up at Jason. 

Jason grabbed him by the hair, yanking his head back from the scar, only making him hum and giggle. "Who's gettin' hard _now_?" He teased, sticking his tongue out. 

"Baby boy," he warned, a tone in his voice that made Joey shiver violently, his cock twitching. "That's three times now that pretty lil' tongue's come out." 

Joey’s eyes flickered to Jason’s chest, distracted. One of Jay’s wounds was bleeding a bit, and for some reason it made Joey light up like a kid on Christmas. Jason decided to experimentally let go of his hair, watching as Joey moved forward to grab at him like a man starved. A small inkling of blood ran down his pec, and Joey kitten licked the trail, chasing the blood back up to the wound before wiping at his lip, smearing blood across his chin.

“Forget nasty. You’re just fucking _feral,_ ” Jason corrected himself. 

Joey rested his chin on Jason's collarbone, looking up at him with hooded eyes. 

"Whatcha' gonna do about this tongue again, Jay-Jay?" He teased, sticking it out again. Jason smirked, pinching that cute pink tongue between two of his fingers. He imagined, for a moment, what it would be like for Joey’s tongue to be pierced. Piercings might suit him, and the way one on his tongue would feel against Jason’s _skin._

“Gonna make you put it to use,” he said. Fuck it, they were going to mess around in the shower. Joey was just too _tempting_ to ignore. That might become a problem, but it was a problem for future-Jason. Jay moved his grip to Joey’s chin, holding him in place and kissing him. He could taste his own blood in Joey’s mouth and it was way hotter than it had any right to be. After a moment he broke the kiss, letting go. “Get down on your knees and show me what that tongue can do.”

Joey flashed a triumphant grin and obeyed, kneeling down in front of Jason and taking his growing erection in hand. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Jason noticed that this was their first time trying oral. Last night they’d just skipped right to the main event. He’d have to return the favor soon. For now, he just wanted to see how well Joey could fit his cock down his throat. 

The blonde cut right to the chase, licking up every side of the shaft before fitting it into his mouth. He looked so damn _delighted_ to have Jason’s cock in his mouth; it was truly a sight to see. As he watched, Jason thought that he could get off on just a picture of this moment; Joey wet and naked, on his knees, sucking cock so enthusiastically. Yes, the image alone would be enough, let alone the actual act of it. He ran his fingers through wet curls, encouraging without demanding. 

“Good boy,” he crooned softly. He was immediately blessed with the sight of Joey’s own member twitching with excitement over the praise. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Jason was trying to keep tally of all the things that Joey liked, and so far it was everything.

Joey could tell when Jason was getting close, and pulled back. He opened his mouth, sticking his tongue out, and kept pumping Jason’s dick. His eyes conveyed his thoughts; he wanted it so bad. He wanted to make Jason feel good, wanted to _take care_ of the other man. Jason took over the stroking with one hand, the other gently holding Joey's head in place, until he came. White stripes of cum decorated the blonde’s tongue, quickly watered down by the spray of the shower, but Joey closed his mouth and swallowed as soon as Jason was done. 

“Jason,” Joey said with adoration in his voice. “Please touch me…”

Wordlessly, Jason pulled him back up to his feet, turning him around and pulling him close. Joey could feel Jason’s heartbeat against his back, between his shoulder blades, as the taller man wrapped his arms around him. Jason reached down, stroking Joey at a fast pace right off the bat, wanting to hear him screaming Jason’s name. He got what he wanted, as Joey cried out, squirming and writhing against him until he came a minute later. Joey went limp, panting, but Jason held him up easily kissing everywhere he could reach. 

“I love you…”

“I love you too.”

Jason did the majority of washing for the both of them, but he didn’t mind at all. Joey deserved some pampering, and he rarely held still long enough to receive such thorough care. Joey was like something wild and otherworldly. He answered to no one, reveled in chaos, and seemed completely untouchable, untamable. And yet, he was here. Jason had done the impossible, and captured lightning in a bottle. Well, captured wasn’t the right phrase for it. He could never possibly own Joseph, or even begin to control him. He didn’t want to, either. It was more than enough that Joey stayed by his side. Joey allowed Jason to hold him close, to cherish him. It reminded Jason of a fairytale; Joey was some unimaginably beautiful creature, unattainable by anyone except those he deemed worthy, like a unicorn laying its head in the lap of a pure-hearted young girl. Joey had chosen to give himself to Jason, and Jason would never let himself mess that up.

* * *

Jason finished washing them up, but Joey wanted to stay in the warm water for a little longer. Jay was popping another handful of painkillers when Joey poked his head out of the shower. 

“Jay, I gotta call into work to tell them I can’t be here today.”

_Oh right, shit…_

“That’s okay, Mr. Wayne already knows you’re not coming,” Jason said vaguely. 

Joey never put anyone’s identities together, even if it was right in front of him, and it was easier if he didn’t realize. However, Jason was pretty sure that Bruce had figured ‘Joseph’ out from a mile away, knowing the man, even with the fake papers that Jason had given him. And after last night, it would be pretty stupid to let the blonde walk back into the Wayne building, where Bruce would surely find a way to discreetly kidnap him and put him in Arkham or something. 

“In fact,” Jason said, “you don’t need to work there anymore. You’re working with me now.”

“Do I get to be _your_ secretary?” Joey said childishly, grinning as he turned off the water and stepped out, drying off. “I can keep annoying reporters away and when you’re bored, I can come into your office and give you something _fun to do._ ”

Jason chuckled at the silly fantasy, but couldn’t deny the fact that the idea turned him on a bit. “Yeah, you can be my secretary. You’ll do all the extra jobs, everything you like to do.”

Joey hummed happily, smiling wide and standing on his toes to kiss Jason’s cheek. “I like it.”

“Good. Now go get dressed.”

The blonde skipped off back to the bedroom, towel barely hanging on his hips, while Jason finished bandaging himself up. When made it back to the walk-in closet a few minutes later, Joey was still standing there (naked) very carefully browsing through Jason’s shirts. 

“What are you doing?” Jason wanted to know, standing alongside him, drying his hair. 

“Getting dressed,” Joey said, as if it were obvious.

“Yes but your clothes are on the other side, over here.”

Joey smiled up at him. “Yes, but we had sex last night, so I’m wearing one of your shirts. The one you _were_ wearing is all ruined, so I’m trying to decide which of these is my favorite.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “I meant for you to _get dressed_. There’s things to do today, now that Chartreuse is out of the picture.”

“I’ll get dressed after breakfast,” the blonde said, waving a hand dismissively. After picking a shirt, he put it on, and it came down to his lower thighs. He walked out of the closet and looked like he was ready to go right out to eat breakfast when Jason called out at him.

“Put some underwear on at least! We have someone over!”

“Ugh, _fine…_ ”

After Jason had gotten fully dressed (like a normal adult…) he came out to the kitchen to find Joey sitting on the barstool while Johnny made breakfast. The teen was babbling away, being his usual chatterbox self. 

“...and I get to have a pistol like Jay’s, and a bat, and I’m going to decorate them so they’re all pretty and so I’ll know they’re mine.”

“You’re making a lot of promises, Jason,” Johnny said with amusement as his employer sat down next to Joey. “You can’t say no to him can you?”

Joey’s eyes lit up, as that gave him an idea. “A motorcycle!!”

“No!” both men answered at once. 

“You almost broke your neck last night,” Jason said sternly. “You can borrow mine in emergencies but you don’t need to be riding around like a maniac on your own all the time.”

Joey pouted, crossing his arms and looking at Jason with puppy-eyes. However, Jason _really_ didn’t want to give something so risky to a person with no concept of fear. 

“You’re too important to drive yourself,” he added. “Me and Johnny will get you around to wherever you need to go.”

That seemed to satisfy him, so he nodded and he turned his attention to his steaming coffee mug, pouring in chocolate syrup. Jason didn’t say anything, giving his own attention to Johnny. 

“So, here’s the plan,” Jason said. “Chartreuse’s death might create a bit of a power vacuum, we have to nip it in the bud before anyone gets any funny ideas. Thankfully, Joey did make a very good example of him last night so I don’t think anyone will try anything like that for a good while. Still, there’s the business of dividing up his turf and assets to those who most deserve it, before people start getting greedy and trying to take it for themselves, which could cause infighting.”

Joey hummed at the mention of his name, beaming slightly at the praise. He poured syrup on the pancakes Johnny had whipped up, but didn’t get _too_ disappointed when Jason took the bottle away to stop him from using too much. He still had his chocolate-spiked coffee after all, _and_ Jay said he did a good job. 

“I want you to get all the top bosses gathered up tonight, outside of the city at the usual place. Make them feel welcomed, I don’t intend on killing any of them off. Unless I really have to, of course, but so soon after Chartreuse I don’t want to make things messier.”

“No problem,” Johnny said, dishing up some eggs and hashbrowns. “I’m sure what happened is on the news by now, and they’ll think twice before disobeying you any time soon.”

“I’m on the news?” Joey said with delight.

“What you _did_ is on the news, yes,” Jason said, reading one article about it on his tablet at that very moment. “No one knows it’s you, and for now we’re keeping it that way. I don’t want to see your face plastered out there if we can help it.”

“Why not?”

“‘Cuz you’re so pretty,'' Jason answered, pinching the teen’s slightly protruding bottom lip in his fingers. “Even when you pout. Someone might want to take you, and I won’t let them.”

Joey nipped at Jason’s fingers playfully, grinning. “I won’t let them either.”

“Good boy,” Jay said, ruffling his messy hair a bit. “Finish your breakfast.”

As the blonde continued eating, Jason went back to his conversation with Johnny, ignoring the man’s teasing grin. “So, he’s still a secret, then?”

“To the public,” Jason corrected. “We’ll introduce him to the big bosses tonight, let them know we’ve got a new guard dog.”

“They won’t believe that he killed all those men,” Johnny pointed out. “They won’t take him seriously.”

“I know,” Jay said, taking a bite of hashbrowns, chewing thoughtfully. “If we have to, though, we can prove it. Once they see him in action, they will think twice before pulling anything like the shit Chartreuse pulled.”

Johnny grinned. “You can’t wait to prove that, can you?”

“It’s impressive,” the crime lord smirked, clearly pleased at having such a powerful secret weapon in his arsenal. Not to mention happy to keep Joey at his side after all, despite his original plan. Things seemed to be going his way, even after the whole shit-show last night. 

“Done!” Joey declared. Jason looked over, frowning slightly. 

“Eat your eggs and hashbrowns too,” he said. “You need carbs and protein, not just sugar.”

“Can’t I just get all my protein from you?” Joey quipped without missing a beat. Johnny choked on his coffee.

“God _damn_ it,” the redhead groaned. “Please keep your sex life in the bedroom. Or at the _very least_ far away from me.”

Joey grinned and cackled maniacally at Johnny’s reaction. Jason quietly took another drink of his own coffee, knowing damn well that this was definitely going to be a pattern as long as Johnny kept reacting to it.

“When you finish, you can get dressed, we’re going out,” he said. That perked up the teen just a bit. 

“Where are we going?”

“I promised I’d buy you some toys, didn’t I? And probably some new clothes to wear, for your new job.”

Joey ate at record speed, cleaning his plate and jumping down, running back to the bedroom before he’d even swallowed the last few bites. Jason smiled to himself at Joey’s enthusiasm, while Johnny rolled his eyes at his boss’ endless infatuation with the blonde. That small, unassuming teen had one of Gotham’s top crime lords wrapped helplessly around his little finger, and he didn’t even seem to care.

* * *

It was a long day of shopping and preparing. They went to the mall again first, letting Joey pick out more flashy outfits for when he was ‘working’ with Jay. He followed the same color scheme as he usually did, sticking with a lot of red with black and dark blue incorporated, and a lot of shiny leather and other easy-to-clean sort of materials. Jason was glad it was nearing Halloween, so they didn’t get too many strange looks at all the clothes the blonde was picking out. There were a good number of accessories too, gloves, boots, belts, fishnets, and chokers. Joey particularly liked a gold choker that came with interchangeable letters that let him spell out different words on it. 

Next, they found a good, solid bat. A few actually, just to have some back-ups. Jason wanted to get him ones made of metal, for durability, but Joey insisted he liked the sound of the wooden ones better. A bystander would assume that he meant the sound of the bat hitting a ball, but Jason knew better, and he had to agree. Metal striking flesh wasn’t his favorite sound either.

They looked around for a few other things to be made into make-shift weapons, but unsurprisingly there wasn’t much around. Jason already had a vast supply of different knives he could give to Joey, and that would be enough. They left the mall to meet up with one of Jason’s other ‘employees’, a guy with a gun shop who was a good provider, never gave away any secrets. 

Joey wanted a pistol _exactly_ like Jay’s, but Jason encouraged him to pick out a few other handguns, for the same reason that they got extra bats. With those, and some ammo, they were good to go. 

Except for a quick (and embarrassing) stop at the craft store, so that Joey could get paints and varnish to decorate his new toys.

Jason spent the rest of the day preparing, while Johnny went out to make sure everybody would be gathered, on time, with not a single person absent. Sometimes it took a little extra persuasion, but Jason knew Johnny would get the job done. He always did, after all. 

Joey sat at the kitchen table, junk-mail coupon sheets spread out while he painted and colored. He hummed to himself, one leg tucked up underneath him while the other foot swung playfully back and forth. Jason came over to check on him after a while and was a bit surprised at what he found. 

“When did you learn to disassemble guns?” he asked. 

“Dunno,” Joey shrugged. “I just know how. It’s easier to draw on some bits if it’s not all put together.”

“ _Can_ you put it back together?”

“Yes,” the teen answered simply. Jason picked up a bat, careful not to smudge drying paint. Once more he was impressed. 

“You’re good at doing all these designs. Did you trace something?”

“No, I used to paint ‘n draw ‘n stuff…” Joey answered distractedly, squinting at the piece of gun he was working on now, and Jason could see him in action, doing letters with a very neat precision. 

The man bit his lip, wondering if he should press it any further. There was no way that Jester had been the one to paint like this, not so precisely. Jason hadn’t seen Joey touch anything remotely crafty since he took him in, either, so that could only mean that _Joseph,_ the original Joey, had been the one to paint. Jason vaguely remembered Dick mentioning wistfully that Joey was artistically inclined, and that he’d had a guitar, but Jason didn’t know that it was to this degree. Nor would he have expected Joey to retain these talents after all the things he went through. 

Whatever Joey remembered about painting now had to have come from the time before the Joker. It was odd, because usually Joey rejected all of his old memories, very adamantly. He wanted nothing to do with his past and repressed every single thing that ever came up. It was a big part of why Jason had never gotten around to letting him meet Dick again. Having been so closely tied to the whole traumatic incident, anything to do with the original Robin was very likely to send the blonde into a full panic attack. Suddenly Jason remembered that this was Deathstroke’s kid- was that where he learned how to handle guns as well?

Before Jason could come up with anything to say, Joey continued. 

“Used to paint really stupid stuff like flowers and shit,” he said. “Nothing fun like this. I painted… the mountain…” his voice got lighter, more far away. Jason tensed, waiting to see if this would turn south. “I lived up there. It was nice.”

  
Joey returned to his work, humming again, and Jason let go of the breath he was holding. Joey was still completely relaxed. It could be that he’d forget the mountain again within five minutes, but at least there were _some_ things he could remember without freaking out. Not to mention all the training from back then that was etched into his subconscious. Of course he retained some things, how else would he be able to fight like he did? Joker certainly couldn’t have taught him all this stuff. Joker wouldn’t have bothered. Jason decided not to ask anything else, though, just in case, and just left the teen to finish his work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, one more chapter to go! See you next week!


	4. Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red Hood introduces the newest member of his team to the leaders of the Gotham underground, and things get a little messy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to all *checks notes* three people who follow me. I forgot about this on Wednesday, it was a rough day, and then every time I remembered it I wasn't at my computer so I couldn't. So I'm doing it now. This chapter has no sex scenes, but there is a little violence. I go by Under The Red Hood rules and say Red Hood took over the whole criminal underground and all the big mob bosses answer to him. He doesn't stop crime, he's not an antihero, but he tries to reign it in and control it. I realize Red Hood's role in the city hasn't really been thoroughly explained and you should have some idea of what he does, especially in this chapter. Also all the mob bosses go by a code name, and they're all named after colors. That way I don't have to come up with real names lol 
> 
> Enjoy!

Later that evening, the couple had a nap. Well, it was a post-sex nap, but at least they got some rest before they headed out after the sun was down. Johnny drove one of Jay’s sleek sports cars, while the other two rode in the back. Jay had on his usual Red Hood getup, while Joey had meticulously picked out the perfect outfit for his debut. It was all red and blue, showed off his tattoos, and gave him the freedom of movement that he needed to do his thing. Jason was torn about the short-shorts and fishnets, but the combat boots and leather jacket definitely made him look at least a little less vulnerable. It was a difficult balance to maintain. Jason  _ wanted _ people to underestimate Joey, but also didn’t want them to single him out as an easy target. Nor did he want them ogling his lover, of course. 

“We’re here,” Red Hood said, putting his gun into its holster. “Ready?”

Joey gripped his bat in both hands, giggling to himself. His own pistol was tucked into one boot, and a knife in the other. “Ready, puddin’”

Red rolled his eyes but didn’t comment on the nickname. Joey’s ‘Harley’ side was showing again. Maybe he was a bit nervous, and putting on a bit of an act to keep it from showing. Well, the extra crazy would sure help convince these guys that they shouldn’t mess with Joey. Jason had been a little worried that if Joey acted too calm and serious they wouldn’t think he was very dangerous. The calm and serious thing worked for Red and Johnny because they were big and intimidating, but obviously it wouldn’t work the same for someone of Joey’s size.

These meetups were always in the same place; an abandoned barn on some property that Red had procured from some older mobster that had died. It was out of town, so it was less likely that the Bat could find them, let alone sneak up on them. Secluded enough that they could meet in private, off of anyone’s turf. Red was here first, as he always was, and walked inside with his two partners in tow. Johnny stood at ground level, on guard, while the other two went up to the loft, overlooking the large oak table where people sat. Red liked to stay up here to watch over the arrivals, before coming back down to join them for the meeting.

“What do you want me to call you? You can have any name you want for when you’re on the job, who do you want to be?” he asked the petite blonde, who was gazing up at the rafters. 

“Huh? Oh, jus’ Jericho’s fine.”

“Why that one?” Red asked with curiosity. Jericho still was, after all, the name of a former Titan. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if some people made the connection between the two, but Jason had expected Joey to take this opportunity to start fresh. 

Joey shrugged. “I already have a lot of names. That’s the only name I ever picked for myself. Is it okay?” He looked up at Red, the nervousness peeking through just a bit. The man couldn’t stop himself from smiling softly, though Joey couldn’t have seen it through his hood. 

“Yeah, it’s good.”

Joey smiled brightly. “Can I go play?” He pointed up at the rafters. Jason eyed them, and judged them to be sturdy enough to hold Joey’s light frame. 

“Yeah. Come down when I ask you.”

“‘Kay!” With a cheery giggle the blonde jumped up onto the railing of the loft, and then up again onto the closest bar of wood. Red watched him, making sure he was on-balance and showed no signs of fatigue. He had to stop watching when the first man came in, not wanting to seem concerned about the teen. 

As everyone came in, each allowed one armed bodyguard, they all seemed to notice Jericho one at a time, and watched him with confusion. They murmured between themselves, all but the first guy thinking that perhaps one of them had brought along some ‘fun’ for everyone. They weren’t brave enough to speak up or ask out loud, all worried how the owner of this boy would react if they expressed interest. Red smirked. He liked it when they were confused. 

After everyone had arrived, he came back down, stepping up to the head of the table and taking his seat there, Johnny standing behind him casually. 

“Well then,” he said, loud enough to make them all snap to attention. “I’m sure you all saw the news this morning. Some of you might have even had the chance to get a glimpse of the aftermath yourself, if you happened to be in the area or you have some connections with the police force. It’s all true. Chartreuse and his crew are dead.”

There were some murmurings and Red let them go on for a moment before continuing. Jericho’s laughter echoed around them, a bit creepily. Red enjoyed how they all squirmed. 

“I’ve called this meeting to divide up what he left behind. I hope you’ve all been on your best behavior and not attempted to take anything for yourselves so soon after his death. I’m not a fan of greediness and impatience.”

“So was it you that killed him?” a man called Violet asked boldly. 

“Indirectly.”

“You hired someone?” Puce asked, a bit more nervous than the man who had spoken before him. “I thought you didn’t like to hire outsiders. Unless it was one of us?” He glanced around at everyone there. 

“I didn’t hire anyone,” Red said calmly. “I let my… personal guard take care of the mess after Chartreuse started acting up. I’m sure a lot of you knew he was planning on overthrowing me, but as you can see, he’s failed, so I’ll let his demise be its own lesson to you all.”

The men all looked to Johnny, naturally assuming that he’d been the one to do the job. Jericho’s giggling persisted as he hung down by his knees, his arms dangling, with the bat still in one hand. There was that special glint in his eyes, and while the other men missed it, the two who knew him recognized it very well. Red purposely looked up, just enough that the other men noticed, and they followed his gaze. For a second they looked between the teen and their boss, obviously confused, not sure if the man was really implying… 

“You can’t possibly mean…”

“That  _ kid? _ ”

Red smirked under his mask. “That’s exactly who I mean. He’s a new member of my personal team, and I thought you all might want to meet him. Say hello to Jericho. Jericho, be polite, come back down here.”

“Okie dokie!” 

The childish remark was followed by Jericho straightening his legs, letting himself free-fall headfirst towards the table. The strangers at the table audibly gasped and flinched, but before his feet even cleared the bar, Jericho was already twisting his body into a somersault. He landed hard in a crouch on the table on the opposite end of where Red Hood sat, in front of a Mr. Cerulean. Red Hood stayed motionless, but inside Jason flinched. It was a good show of fearlessness, of course, but such a fall could break his ankles if he wasn’t careful, not to mention the weapons in his boots. He’d have to have a stern talk with Joey later but for now sat back to watch. 

Red couldn’t see it, but he could tell from Jericho’s body language that he was bordering on feral, waiting eagerly for a single order. Cerulean’s face had certainly paled, probably due to the intense green eyes boring into him. Jay made a mental note to let Joey use eyeliner more often, as it certainly did the trick. 

“He said,  _ say hello _ ,” Jericho said in a hollow voice. A drastic change from the voice that had been giggling from up above seconds ago. 

The man sputtered for a second, having lost his voice, before managing to choke out, “N-nice to meet you…”

Jericho smiled brightly, straightening up and holding the bat over one shoulder. He turned and walked down the table to Jason, still smiling innocently, nodding to the men he passed in greeting. Jason was grinning gleefully to himself at how well this was all working out. Even without evidence of ferocity, the men were still incredibly unsettled by the teen. 

Jericho came to Jason’s seat, sitting on the table and sliding into Red’s lap casually. Red continued to not outwardly react, nor did Johnny. For a moment everyone else was just stunned, trying to make sense of all this. Why would Red Hood pick up a scrawny teenager when he already had all the muscle (literally and figuratively) that he needed?

Cerulean spoke first, his pride clearly insulted by Jericho’s lack of immediate respect. He sneered, trying to save face. “So you got yourself a boy toy? I thought kids were off-limits. Are the rules changing or are you a hypocrite?”

Red didn’t like his attitude, but it was confirming his suspicions. Cerulean had been thinking the same things as Chartreuse. This was partly a test to see if anyone else ought to be eliminated. His hand rested on Jericho’s hip, reminding him to wait until Red gave permission. 

“The rules are the same,” he answered firmly. “Jericho might look young but he’s not a kid. And for the record, he’s not a toy. As I just said, he’s a new member of my team, and a personal guard. His first assignment was Chartreuse and he’s proven himself more than capable.”

The men were still clearly skeptical. Cerulean took advantage of this, possibly hoping to win them all over to his side to pull the same stunt as Chartreuse. He snorted, “We’re supposed to believe  _ that _ scrawny thing took out all sixteen of those men,  _ and _ Chartreuse? I think you just wanted to step outside your own rules and you’re pretending he’s not just your sex kitten so that we’ll pipe down about it. Come on, Red, just admit the truth and we can all move past this ridiculous charade.”

“Want to put it to the test?” Red dared. Jericho grinned, but another little squeeze on his hip reminded him not to act just yet. 

“You’re joking!” Cerulean said, barking out a laugh. He gestured to the large man standing behind him. “My Nikolai is top dollar, and even he couldn’t take on all those men.” 

Jericho giggled, and Red nodded. “Sounds like a bet to me.”

“A bet?” Cerulean was a notorious gambler. “What are we betting?”

“Well, maybe the right term would be a fight to the death,” Red said coyly, “but that sounds too dramatic. Jericho against Nikolai. They fight, until one of them is dead, and we just put this whole thing behind us.”

Cerulean laughed, and a few others joined in. Jericho was clearly crazy, but he was still much smaller. “I hope you gave him a kiss goodbye already!”

Jericho tensed, hands gripping the bat as he looked up at Red, waiting for his signal. Johnny smirked, catching the eye of the bodyguard at the opposite end of the table, who looked quite pleased to see some action. Just as the laughter died out, he felt a slight twinge of pity, and he decided to try and give him a bit of a leg up with a warning. “Run,” he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. 

“ _ Go get him, doll, _ ” Red whispered into Jericho’s ear, and the blonde shot up, as quick as lightning, jumping onto the table, gripping the bat in one hand. Just as fast, he sprinted down the length of it again, giving poor Nikolai no time to react. At the end of the table, Jericho jumped into the air, swinging the bat down hard onto the large man’s face with a sickening crack. 

Both opponents fell to the ground, though the teen landed on one knee, and the man fell flat on his back, blood gushing all over his face. 

“YOU LITTLE  _ SHIT! _ ” Cerulean shouted, already looking forward to watching his man pummel the little whelp. 

“ _ I’LL KILL YOU!!” _ roared Nickolai. Jericho bolted to his feet, cackling with laughter, leading the man outside the open doors where there would be more space to fight. The man followed, not even drawing his gun. Clearly he would prefer to throttle the blonde with his bare hands. Jason smirked as most of the other men stood up to get a better view. Nikolai had no idea what he was in for. 

For a good few minutes, the man tried to catch Jericho, but the teen was too quick, ducking and weaving gracefully, throwing in more hits with his bat. The way he moved was different than the way he had as Jester, or even as a Titan. He was faster, taking more risks, but he also moved very precisely, in a planned way. He thought ten moves ahead, a sharp mind whirring under the ditzy, childish persona. Red Hood knew that by now, but no one else seemed to have figured it out. 

“Hold still, you little  _ fuck! _ ” Nikolai snarled. He finally pulled out a gun, taking a shot. Red couldn't see if Jericho had been hit, but the bat was knocked out of his hand. Nikolai smirked, until he saw Jericho grinning, whipping out his own pistol, standing still and firing, without flinching. He shot so quickly, without even trying to duck for cover, that the man was in a state of shock. Until a few bullets landed in his torso. He snarled again, taking a handful more shots of his own. At least one landed, hitting Jericho’s shoulder and knocking him down. For a split second, to all but two of the men present, it seemed like that would be the end of it. 

Nikolai approached the blonde, who lay in the dirt with his eyes closed. The man sneered, holstering his gun and pulling out a knife. He stooped down, picking the teen up by his collar, as if he weighed nothing. He carried the limp teen back to the table, wanting to make a show of his final blow. In front of Cerulean, he dropped Jericho on his back onto the table, snapping off his collar with one hand, baring his thin, pale throat. He paused for a second, however, when he saw the scar underneath, exactly where he had been planning on using his knife. It looked like someone had already beat him to it. He blinked in shock, though only those closest could see what he was looking at, so to some of them it looked like he was just hesitating out of fear or pity. 

“Stop playing, and finish him,” Red Hood said loudly enough to be heard, his voice firm. His command was a bit confusing to those present, as they assumed he was talking to Nikolai. Didn’t Red want his boy to win?

Before he could shake off his unease, however, Nikolai was startled when bright green eyes snapped back open, a grin breaking out on the kid’s face. 

“Wanna be twins?” he asked in the same childish tone. He kicked out, hitting Nikolai in the stomach with one boot, winding him. He whipped out the knife from his other shoe, letting it gleam in the moonlight. Just as quickly, he slashed the knife in a wide arc, where the man was still leaning over him. Blood splattered down over his face. 

Nikolai seemed to be trying to cry out, but all that came out were gurgling sounds. Blood poured down from where Jericho had cut open his throat, and he clutched at it, as if trying to hold all the blood in with his bare hands. Jericho got to his feet, crouching, before launching himself once more off the table, tackling the larger man to the ground. The blonde gleefully gave him a few solid stabs to the chest, really making sure the job was done, and burning excess energy. This one had been pretty easy after all the men last night, after all. 

“That’s enough,” Red called out again. 

The other men were all frozen in shock, completely petrified. Jericho snatched his collar back out of the dead man’s hand, standing up and looking expectantly back at his ‘boss’. Red gave a single, wordless nod of approval, and that was more than enough for the teen. He grinned again, practically skipping back around one side of the table to settle back into his place on Red’s lap. 

“Johnny, could you please find some bandages and wrap his shoulder for me?” Red spoke calmly, but on the inside he was truly worried about the blood loss. Despite metahuman healing abilities, Jericho’s health and well-being was still something he was concerned about. Johnny nodded, going to the back where a few supplies were kept in waterproof containers, for an occasion like this. 

Cerulean was the first to break out of his catatonic state, spluttering with anger and rising from his chair. “This is an  _ outrage! _ I am now down one man; my  _ best _ man! I demand some compensation for the damage your brat has done!!”

Red stood up so quickly, Jericho barely landed on his feet. This was the first time that Red Hood had shown any sort of outward emotion, and it was rare for him to show his anger. However, Cerulean had been pushing too many buttons, and Jason hadn’t had enough practice controlling his emotions when it came to Joey. He was still very protective, since it was all so new. 

“Excuse me?” he said coldly. “You lost a bet. You bet Nikolai’s life over Jericho’s and you lost. When you lose a gamble you accept it. Either that or bet again. Would you like to bet your own life this time?”

He didn’t raise his voice, but Joey still got chills. He’d never seen Red Hood in action before. He watched, wide-eyed, and filled with wonder.  _ Holy shit, _ he thought to himself,  _ Jay is really hot when he talks like that. I wonder if I can get him to talk to me like that? At home. In the bedroom… _

Johnny came back, pulling the blonde aside to dress his wound while the rest of the room was frozen. The two men at the ends of the table stared each other down, while the rest seemed quite content to keep out of it. They knew how serious Red was, especially after such a strong example he’d made with Jericho. Nikolai’s body was still warm, after all. 

Eventually, Cerulean decided now wasn’t the time to fight this battle, and he ducked his head. He vowed to himself to find someone strong enough to take down that brat, but not tonight. Perhaps he could hire someone like Deathstroke, or Ravager to take him out from a distance. Surely the scrawny kid wasn’t immune to a headshot, was he? The man sat down. 

“I concede, Red Hood,” he said. “He has more than proven his skill set, and it’s clear now the reason that you have him. I apologize for questioning you.”

Red knew that Cerulean didn’t really mean it; none of them ever really meant it when they apologized, but at least he’d scared these men into line for a good while. That was enough. 

“I accept. Hopefully you’ll all remember this the next time-”

“Hey!” shouted the teen from where he was at, sitting on a table, shirtless, while Johnny wrapped gauze around his shoulder. Everyone stared in shock, as no one usually dared interrupt Red Hood. 

“Jericho it’s rude to interrupt,” Red pointed out flatly. 

“It’s also rude to ruin someone’s brand new clothes!” he protested, holding up the bloodied shirt and jacket, as well as the collar with a broken fastener. Jason bit his tongue to keep from laughing to himself, turning with his arms crossed back to Cerulean, looking expectant. The other man gave a look that could kill, gritting his teeth as he finally spoke. 

“I’ll pay to replace them…” he growled. 

“How generous of you!” Red said cheerfully. It would be pretty cheap to replace those few things, mere pocket change to the man, but it was certainly another blow to his pride. It was downright delicious to Red Hood. “I’ll send you the bill. Jericho, what do you say?”

“Thank you,” the blonde nodded with satisfaction, holding still so that Johnny could finish. 

To Jericho, the rest of the meeting was mind-numbingly boring. They discussed all the assets that had to be divided up, and there wasn’t even another fight, not even a small one! He was frowned at by Johnny when he wanted to go up to the rafters again, but he didn’t want to interrupt Jason again so he accepted that he was grounded. Stupid gun-wound. The bullet wasn’t even in there, anyway! All he could do was gather up his weapons and clean them. He stayed off to the side, since Jason was busy talking and it would be boring to sit in his lap if Joey wasn’t going to get any attention. 

The knife and bat were dirtiest, but they cleaned up alright just the same. Jericho was glad that he’d given the bat a clear-coat so that his decorations weren’t ruined. He completely forgot to clean the blood off of his face, though, to the discomfort of the men still watching him out of the corners of their eyes. 

After what felt like an eternity, the meeting was finally over. Red liked to leave last, just like he arrived first, so by the time they went back to their car, they were all alone. In the back seat, Jason took off the hood, getting some fresh air and running fingers through his hair. 

“That was quite a night,” he said. “How’d you like your first meeting?”

He pulled the blonde close, craving the feel of him after so long of having to act like he felt nothing. He carefully wiped the dried blood off of Joey’s face, with clear fondness in his eyes. If the men realized how much he liked Joey, they’d certainly try to use the teen against him. They’d have to be careful about that, but Jason had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to keep up the act for too much longer. 

Joey hummed, snuggling up to him. “It was boring as hell. Except the first part, of course. I did good, right?”

“You did well,” Jason said. “Except you got shot.” He had half a mind to scold his young lover for letting it happen. 

“Well, I’m not Superman, I can’t outrun bullets,” Joey said with a shrug. “I’m fine, though. Did you see how I pretended I was knocked out? The look on his face…” He giggled to himself, imagining it. 

“You’re clever, just stay careful,” Jason said. 

“Do you have those meetings a lot?” Joey wondered, watching out the window as they got closer to the city. 

“No, very rarely. Usually I can send messages to all of them, but sometimes we need to discuss things as a group.”

“Well, I don’t know if I want to go anymore, if they’re all that boring.”

Jason chuckled. No one else would call that boring. True, the discussion had been dry, but the excitement of one fight would have been enough to call the whole evening an event for anyone else. Only Joey could find it all so mundane. 

“I promise I’ll only take you out to do fun things from now on,” he said. “Things you like.”

Joey hummed happily, sitting up tall, pulling Jason into a kiss. Jay gladly kissed him back, deepening it. Soon enough, Joey’s bloodied shirt was off again, and the teen was straddling his lover’s lap, moaning into Jason’s mouth. 

“Hey!” Johnny called from the driver’s seat. “Can’t you two keep it in your pants until we get home? You know, save it for your bed?”

“No!” Joey said firmly, though he still sounded downright childish about it. “I sleep  _ where  _ I want and with  _ who _ I want. Huh, puddin’?”

“You heard him, Johnny,” Jason said with a slight chuckle. “But maybe if you’re fast enough we’ll get back before the real action.”

The biker only groaned to himself. He hoped their ‘honeymoon’ phase wore off soon, but if he knew Jason, then there was little chance of that happening. He focused on the road in front of him, ignoring the moans and giggles behind him. 

“Mmm…. Jay, I love you.”

“I love you too, cupcake,” the man responded, referring to Joey’s favorite shirt. 

“Hey, you think you can use that sexy voice on me? I really liked it.”

“What voice?” 

“When you got all mad at that guy today, after he was mad at me.”

Jason let out a low chuckle, pulling the blonde close, nibbling on his ear. He spoke low, trying to recreate the cold tone in his voice from before. “This one?” He growled. 

Joey shivered. “Yes… Tell me about what you’d do to that guy if he was mean to me again.”

Jay chuckled again, going along with the random requests. He liked that he could turn on his lover like this. He liked that Joey seemed to like his act of dominance. He spoke in that voice, telling Joey a few vague things about what he’d do to anyone who crossed him. 

The blonde hummed, clearly enjoying it. “And why would you do all of that?”

“Because he threatened you,” Jason purred. 

“And?”

“And anyone that threatens you has hell to pay.”

“Because?”

“Because you’re the most precious thing in the world to me, and anyone who threatens to take that away deserves everything that’s coming to them,” Jason said, telling Joey everything he knew the blonde wanted to hear. And it was the truth. 

“‘Cuz you love me and we’ll always be together, right?”

“Right,” Jason promised, touching their foreheads together. “We’ll always be together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end of this piece! This AU is ongoing, there will be plenty more of these two in the future. The co-writer and original creator of this AU is [Burntcactii](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burntcactii), who helped me a lot with this extended/revamped version. She has at least one piece of this AU here on her AO3, and a bunch of other cool stuff so go check it out. 
> 
> I will try to post new content regularly but I'm not making any promises. If you liked this, follow me, Burntcactii, or subscribe to this series/collection for future additions. Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Excited? I hope so! I'm excited. Sorry this is just a short thing but if you follow me regularly you know I usually do pretty hefty chapters, and this will be the same. I really love this AU, Burntcactii and I have had a lot of fun working on it and adding to it over the years, and I'm glad to be writing more of it and sharing it here. 
> 
> Normally I post once a week but this is REALLY short so I'm just gonna go ahead and post the first chapter today as well. Happy Valentines?


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